What Is A Friend?

By livingabovethenoise

Lisa Jo Baker has a wonderful blog for moms. On Fridays, she does a whacky thing called, “Five Minute Fridays”. She asks fellow bloggers to write for five minutes on just one word. And if you know blogging, and women, that’s a hard thing! Refreshing though.

Today the word is….

Friend.

A friend should/could/ought to be one who we can talk to about anything without fearing their response.

A friend might encourage rather than criticize.

A friend can bear a burden along the often hard path we walk.

A friend loves, even when we are unlovely.

A friend forgives, yet doesn’t do it so they will be loved back, but to truly show Christ’s love.

A friend responds when called or written or texted.

A friend listens.

A friend counsels.

A friend sips coffee together and laughs at life’s simple joys.

A friend can take a month or six months off to do her own thing, and when you get back together, it’s like you were never apart.

Friend.

I pray I show these qualities to my friends.

How do you define “friend”?

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

You’ll Go To Hell For That!

By livingabovethenoise

We heard someone say this to a group of friends, “You’ll go to hell for that!” Their tone was mocking and derogatory.

You might be familiar with the scene…a person calls attention to a broken standard. It might be an action, or a word spoken, or a clothing style. But their goal isn’t to help. Their goal is to make light of that standard or rule and prove it to be artificial and legalistic.

I don’t know if it’s who I hang out with, but I haven’t heard that phrase in a long time! Or maybe I’m just that old! Eee gads! (See what I mean!) Or maybe it was from being raised in a Catholic home. Back then we were always worried about God’s fist coming down from heaven to discipline us. Bad teaching, I know!

The Motives Behind Our Words

Well, this got me to thinking. How often do we avoid doing something based on what the outcome is for us, rather than taking time to consider God’s view of it? Unfortunately, this little phrase about going to hell reveals a very different motive. What’s really being said is that we’re more worried about how it affects us than God, our Creator, our Lord!

Not wearing something inappropriate for the situation to avoid “going to hell”; not speaking a curse word because we might get in trouble; not looking at a questionable website for fear someone will find out; or anything else you can think of….these are not good enough reasons to avoid the action. God tells us in His word that He is to be the reason we live, and move, and have our being! His standards. His wisdom. His ways. He is why we exist. And He desires that our lives glorify Him.

So the next time you’re tempted to worry about “going to hell” or being punished for something you’re doing, wearing, or thinking, please consider the most important outcome of all – how it affects God and His reputation.

Remember, you are His representative while you’re on earth.

**Your outcome is slight compared to His reputation!**

Teach this to your children. Teach them well. To God be the glory.

“…they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Acts 17:27-28

Invincible – In Christ Alone!

By livingabovethenoise

You know, the older I get, the more I find that I’m not as invincible as I once thought. Yep, I’m ‘vincible’! Okay, so I looked it up, and it’s not a word – but hey, people are making up words all the time. So today, I’m vincible!

I’ve found that my old successes in life were, of course, ordained by my Father in Heaven, and yet, they were founded in my “old man”. They were the product of self. And they were fashioned by my hands with my goals in mind. Oh, how I loved to create things and make myself, my home, and my family just the way I desired them to be! I was born of the seed of man and raised in the hotbed of the feminist revolution.

My mother was part of the first generation that purchased dinners in a box and sung jingles to remind themselves that they could ‘bring home the bacon’ and be their own woman. And so my life was forged in a home that taught me to be strong, be courageous, and never be dependent on anyone. Yep, not even a man – especially a man. Yikes, that’s a difficult place to come from when you enter the Kingdom of God!

Still In Training

Well, I’ve had over twenty years to learn my Lord’s ways. And I can definitely speak of the wonders of finally letting go and letting Him rule my life. (Well, in many areas of my life – but I’m still in training, like we all are.) And it is the most wonderful place to be!

Can I tell you the trick to get there? Can I give you 12 steps to freedom in Christ?….

That’s a big NO……

….for God will use various ways to bring us to our knees and before His throne! But I can tell you how to begin to see the fruit of a life lived for Him and not yourself.

Daily, hourly, constantly – devote yourself to prayer and being in His presence. Oh, I know, you’re probably saying – “but I’m so busy,” or “but I have children underfoot all day,” or “but my husband doesn’t help and my minutes are overbooked!”. But – but – but……

Oh, my friend, I’ve been there. The “buts” have filled my vocabulary over the years – to the point of missing God’s best for my life, my marriage, and my family.

All I can say is, stop making excuses:

For not being in the Lord’s presence.
For not praying while you change that diaper, or drive to work, or help your ailing parent.
For believing that you can make your world, your home, your marriage, your children – better than God can.

With God all things are possible. But the key word there is – with God! Trust Him for the outcome of your obedience.

Severe Mercy

I spent so many years thinking that because I went to church, read my Bible most days, had great discussions with my Christian friends, and interacted with fellow homeschoolers, all things would be possible. Yes, our life is wonderful because of those activities, and they gave our family a great foundation. And yet – only with the power, the foundation, and the confidence of being imbedded in Christ, united to my God, and relying on the Holy Spirit – are all things truly possible!

So what am I saying? Take each day and give it to God. Take each moment and seek to find what God is doing In it! You’ll be surprised to find Him there, urging you to know Him better. You’ll someday be glad to know that the pain, discouragement, or frustration you suffer is actually a wonderful, “severe mercy” that draws you closer to Him.

And, of course, that’s His goal. He wants you to kneel before His throne, leaning on His strength, depending on His counsel. Daily, hourly, constantly!

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19

Learning and Growing – God’s Way

By livingabovethenoise

Have you ever reached for a book or called a friend for advice before reaching for God’s Word? If so, read on….

Our family has been ‘growing up’ in our faith in recent years. Of course, growing up in the knowledge of God is a great thing! But when we first became Christians over twenty years ago, we got into the Pharisaical trap that offered us a sense of ‘faith’ and ‘Christianity’ by our works. One of those ‘works’ was our Christian education.

We were growing in our faith in God, and yet, we were also growing in our pride. We assumed that the more we studied – the more we attended conferences – the more we added godly things to our lives and subtracted worldly things from our lives – the better we were living the Christian life. Not!

Now don’t get me wrong! I know that we are to “study to show thyself approved” (2 Timothy 2:15) and that we are to seek God daily, however, we must be careful how we walk this line.

Asking Questions

We need to ask ourselves what we are really seeking and what knowledge we are truly acquiring. God cares about our motives more than even our actions. (Proverbs 16:2)

Is it God we seek, or our own glory and sanctification?
Is it truly the knowledge of God we study for, or is it the pride and accomplishment of having the right answers among our friends and church members?
Are we comfortable because we have the right patterns down – when to pray, when to seek counsel, when to read our Bible, when to give, etc. – or because we are solely relying on God and His ways?
Has it gotten easy to obey like the priests in Ezekiel 43:20-27, where we have the specific ‘duties’ of Christianity right down to which corner of the altar to put blood, or when to sprinkle the salt?
Are we becoming like the Pharisees, having learned the things of God and now we walk with our head up and our eyes closed to what God truly desires?

It’s important that we ask these questions often in our daily Christian walk.

That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:10

Pause and Reflect

It’s so easy to begin by seeking God, only to shift our focus to seeking to please others and meet their expectations rather than God’s. We may begin with appreciation for all that God has done to rescue us out of our pit, but then we get caught up in the mechanics of our Christian culture.

I encourage each of you to pause and reflect on what education you are really seeking. What is your goal for studying Scripture? Why do you attend seminars and read books? Who are you really trying to please? Is it God or those who sit near you in the pews?

My Devotion to Books

It’s so easy to think that seeking God and knowing Him better means to read every book on the market. I know, I’ve done it and often still do. I love to read and learn! And I truly enjoy learning from other’s lessons, tips, and adventures.

Many years ago, I was feeling quite desperate to understand God and I was reading everything I could get my hands on about how to live this Christian life. But one day, I decided to just open the Bible and see where God would bring me. It was so beautiful to see how God answered!

He brought me to Ecclesiastes 12, in particular verses 12-14 which says,

…my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body. The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

Oh, my! I had been striving to know God better by my excessive devotion to books and what other’s thought about God! Of course, reading and learning about God is certainly not a terrible thing, but the excess is what God warns us about. My bookshelves are filled to overflowing and I often seek God there rather than on my knees, or in the night watches, or in the Word.

I’ve discovered something amazing in over twenty years of searching for God and seeking to be a better daughter of the King! I learn so much more about God and His ways, plus my faith becomes stronger, when I simply live before Him and for Him than when I strive and strain to understand Him and His ways. This living means that I actually obey Him rather than just reading (yes, even reading my Bible) about obeying. Ouch! So – when I grab another book off the shelf, or listen to another message, or sit through another conference – I know that I had better be doing it for the right reasons!

I need to first ask myself some questions –

Am I living a life filled with service? Or am I learning about how others have served?
Am I content with where God has me and what I am learning? Or am I reading of other’s lessons, or listening to their stories. Will I let God make my own story?!
Am I obedient to His ways? Or am I hearing about other’s obedience?
Could I actually be living vicariously through other’s lives and experiences? Am I feeling like I’ve arrived simply because I know something or know how others live?

God’s Best Plan for Growth

When we have a dilemma or question, it’s too easy to start with other’s advise and not God’s. If we have sought God and read Scripture, we can then seek counsel through the people He’s placed in our life, or we can read a good book on the subject we’re struggling with, or listen to a message or seminar – but – these are not best as the first plan of attack.

Remember Paul’s experience. He reminds us in Galatians 1:11-12, 16,

“…that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” “I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me…”

Paul’s example reveals how God uses our time alone with Him, and our being attentive to Him and His Spirit as we live our life, to grow us in ways only He can devise!

So what have I learned over the years? Seek God first!

Pray.
Read Scripture.
Listen for His still, small voice.
Then seek counsel: via my husband, trusted friends and counselors, or that book, message, or seminar.

God is so good to teach us in His timing. To grow us just where He desires. To give us all that He can in this world so we will know Him better – so we will learn to trust Him for all things wise and wonderful.

For He is our God!

Friend.

Friend.

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17

The Motives Behind Our Words

Your outcome is slight compared to His reputation!

“…they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Acts 17:27-28

Still In Training

Severe Mercy

Asking Questions

Pause and Reflect

My Devotion to Books

God’s Best Plan for Growth

“…my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” Ecclesiastes 12:12

**Your outcome is slight compared to His reputation!**